Dramatic changes in certain areas have given impetus to candid examinations of Britain’s role in creating the present world.

From the outset, Ian Thomson leaves little doubt that this role has been disastrous.

When he points out that cruelty has been “implicit in Jamaican life for the 300 years of British rule,” he bravely quotes Karl Marx who said that such history was “characteristic of the beastliness of the true Englishman.”

In just under 400 pages, the author gives us a detailed picture of the tragedy of this Caribbean island.

Both anecdote and evidence are skilfully combined to leave little doubt of Britain’s responsibility for the corruption and decay that make up modern Jamaica.

Interwoven with this are fascinating reflections on the cultural scene and descriptions of the profits of the twin trades of slavery and sugar that were exploited by the British ruling classes.

While the final chapter Take down the Union Jack explicitly condemns the perpetrators of the Jamaican tragedy, an earlier chapter dealing with Michael Manley and Edward Seaga leaves out a great deal.

And many readers will be surprised to read that “Obama has even won the approval of Castro’s Cuba,” a rather simplistic claim that demands much clarification.

Research to show which groups [in Britain] got rich from slavery cash: here.

Doctors are concerned over what they are calling “unusual” burns on Afghans wounded in last Monday’s battle with Taliban guerillas in Farah province.

Herat Regional Hospital burn unit head Dr Mohammad Aref Jalali, who has treated five patients wounded in the battle, said: “I think it’s the result of a chemical used in a bomb, but I’m not sure what kind of chemical.

“But if it was a result of a burning house – from petrol or gas cylinders – that kind of burn would look different,” he said.

Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission member Nader Nadery said that officials had met patients and were investigating.

UN human rights investigators have also seen “extensive” burn wounds on victims and have raised questions about how the injuries were caused.

White phosphorus is a spontaneously flammable light metal which can cause chemical burns, blindness and suffocation from its caustic smoke.

It is used to mark targets, create smoke screens or as a weapon. International law bans its use in residential areas.

The US military continued to blame the Taliban for the massacre on Sunday.

April 2013: Israel bowed to pressure today and announced that it will be phasing out white phosphorus smokescreen munitions: here.

LEFT-WING anti-EU campaigners faced down an “aggressive and hostile” mob of British National Party (BNP) members on the streets of Carlisle on Saturday during a leafleting campaign for next month’s Euro elections.

No2EU – Yes to Democracy campaigners challenged the regular BNP leafleting session on English Street to the delight of shoppers, who stopped to praise the activists’ “courage” for standing up to the fascists.

Shortly afterwards, the police were called in by a whingeing BNP member who alleged that he had been verbally abused.

A Cumbria Police spokesman confirmed: “We attended and no arrests were made.”

Rail union RMT general secretary and No2EU convener Bob Crow said: “RMT members and No2EU supporters will not bow to intimidation from the BNP in Carlisle or anywhere else in the country.”

He said that Saturday’s incident proved that the BNP is worried about the “socialist message” of No2EU.

“No2EU is the only left-wing group challenging the BNP on the streets for the votes of the angry and the disaffected on June 4,” he declared.

“We will be stepping up our campaign in the coming weeks and offering voters a socialist alternative to the poison and hatred of the far-right.”

ASLEF union activist and No2EU candidate John Metcalfe accused BNP members of being “openly aggressive and hostile.”

“It didn’t take long before the mask slipped and they started shouting fascist slogans,” he said.

He added: “The BNP have been leafleting Carlisle city centre for months and obviously didn’t take kindly to being exposed for the fascists that they are by our campaign.”

Fellow No2EU candidate and RMT member Craig Johnson added: “I have lived and worked in and loved the city of Carlisle for 45 years. No-one is going to intimidate and harass me off the streets of my home town.”